We're Building a Door
by jasperwright
Summary: Post-'Cuffed', Castle wanders over to Beckett's apt. at 2am. with a couple things on his mind. Beckett has a few things up her sleeve despite the unannounced drop-in
1. Again?

A few hours after the case had been solved; Castle sat at his desk helplessly trying to continue his largest novel yet. Typically, he had always chosen the title before he even started typing up the manuscript. Everything about this book was different. The story fell in line with his current Nikki Heat series, but it almost seemed like a finale. Castle only worked on this book when he had pure inspiration. Imagination simply would not do for this book. The day's events were so overwhelming that Castle actually couldn't write more than a few paragraphs. After an hour of so of fiddling with the keyboard, he decided to go for a walk.

Castle looked up in amazement when he had instinctively walked all the way to Beckett's Apartment. His legs ached from the walk over and he glanced at his watch. _1:35. Wow, how did I loose so much time? _There was a fine line between Castle's actual writer's block and his heart being confused. Both of his hands slid into his pockets after he shivered rather violently. He had been so lost in thought that he not only lost track of time, but he had foolishly got himself stuck outside in the New York winter. At this point, the only thing he could think of was to cross the street and head up to Beckett's apartment.

Courage didn't exactly overtake him when he entered the apartment complex. Despite the temperature, a bead of sweat dripped down his face and onto his maroon button-up shirt. He stood with his fist touching her door for nearly ten minutes before he actually knocked on its freshly painted surface. Two minutes later, there was still no answer at the door. Castle combed his hair back in frustration with his cold hands and slowly walked away.

"Castle." His heart rose quickly into his throat as he turned around to see the beloved owner of the voice. A sigh escaped his lips and he only took one small step towards his partner.

"What are you doing here? Did you walk?" Beckett looked him up and down quickly and answered her own question.

"You must be freezing…need me to call a cab?" She was way too awake for this hour of the evening. The thoughts swirling through his head didn't make any sense. At this point, the cold had saturated Castle's mind so much that he just stared at the floor. Beckett walked over to her estranged partner and grabbed his lapels as she gently led him into her apartment.

"C'mon, Castle. I could use the company and well, your lack of speech tells me you do too." Though her apartment was like a second home to him, he looked it over thoroughly. He removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to the kitchen entrance. Beckett brushed his arm as she walked to the cabinet to grab a mug.

"You're shirt is all wet, Cas. Let me grab you a dry one from my room." This odd behavior snapped Castle out of his daze instantly.

"Beckett," he said. "I will not be caught dead wearing one of your shirts. I mean it's kind but…" She ignored him and continued to walk toward her bedroom. On her return, she proudly presented him with one of his black sweaters and a white t-shirt. A smug look grazed Beckett's face when she plopped herself down on the couch and cuddled into a blanket.

"You left some of your stuff here last week when we pulled an all-nighter on that case. So I just washed them and kept it around just in case you needed it while you were here."

"You seriously stole my clothes for your own keeping? I cannot help but conjure up ideas…" A familiar smirk sank deep into Castle's face. "You missed me didn't you?"

"Are you kidding me? You walked all the way to my apartment at 2 in the morning and you are going to tease me about keeping your clothes here?" Castle unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the bathroom and slipped into the fresh, dry clothes. Beckett leaned over the back of the loveseat to shout a comment at him. "You better not throw your shirt on the floor. I am not your wife, Castle." Castle let forth a loud laugh and threw his wet shirt into the living room.

"Oh, and I suppose you bought me a toothbrush too? Where is it?" He asked. She could hear him shuffling through the medicine cabinet. This was enough to get Beckett off the couch. She picked up his discarded shirt and draped it over his head. Instead of retaliating, Castle kept the shirt on his head and continued to berate her. "Oh and um…I don't see any tiger around, what do you say we give the cuffs another shot, shall we?" Beckett tugged his sweater and slapped him in the chest. Castle removed the shirt from his head and shared a brief moment staring into her beautiful eyes. Even though her eyes clearly acknowledged that she was annoyed, he didn't care.

Beckett quickly grabbed his left wrist and spun it behind his back. Before Castle knew what was happening, she had cuffed him to the towel rack. "How's that?" She asked. The door closed behind her and she left him in the bathroom with the light off.

"Very funny, Beckett."


	2. Do You Always Have to Go First?

**A/N Thanks everyone for reading and I hope you enjoy this next installment. My chapters tend to get long as I go along. Don't forget to leave a review. They are very helpful tools for creating a better story. They would be greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is more than welcome. Again, thanks for reading. You guys are great. **

**Cheers,**

**Alex**

He leaned against the sink for a good half an hour. Aside from groans of discontent, he didn't make much noise. Beckett curled back up on the couch, quite satisfied with herself and her tenacity at such a late hour of the night. Despite appearing awake, sleep slowly grew heavy upon her body. Just as she started drifting off, she could hear a cacophony of noise coming from the bathroom in her room. Muffled words she could not make out started flying in paragraphs. _Ugh, Castle you are so freakin' loud. _Certainly too loud for her to sleep. Aggravated, she decided to finally put her pajamas on. She shuffled quietly into her room so that Castle wouldn't hear her and make some suggestive comment about her changing.

Instead of choosing randomly, she noticed that she was being picky about her selections. It was Castle's fault and she knew it. The random mumbling coming from the bathroom now was more audible.

"…yeah, Sweetie, I just went for a walk and lost track of time…no, I'm with Detective Beckett…yes, I have dry clothes—what? She had some of my shirts from some late night case work here-of course, I'll behave myself, this is Beckett we're talking about here…" She could tell by the way he was talking that he was speaking with Alexis. There was a special tone he only used for his daughter. As she continued to eavesdrop, Castle began to whisper and she could no longer hear what he was saying. Usually, Kate Beckett could drown out her curiosity about Castle's personal life, but she found it much more difficult when he was talking to Alexis. After a few minutes of trying to hear what he was saying, she finally decided to interrupt. She burst into the bathroom and took Castle a little off guard.

"Okay, Lex, I gotta go and see if Detective Beckett will uncuff me now…" He shot Beckett a pleading look. "Nooo, I'm in her bathroom. I've been alone the whole time. K, gotta go." Castle put his phone back into his pocket and stared up at her.

"Riiight. I'm going to uncuff you just because you begged me? Do you know what time it is?" Though it sounded like she was completely serious, Castle could tell by the look on her face that she was putting on a show. They had known each other long enough to discern the two.

"Beeeckettt, I'm cold. Pleeease? Did you change?" A deep growl of defeat came from Beckett as she unlocked the handcuffs. Cautiously Castle stood up, believing that surely Beckett had more up her sleeve, especially after that last comment. He thought that he could try to widen door in her wall. But was now a good time? Rick Castle was a goof most of the time but when it came to matters relating to Beckett, he was careful. Tonight he could push the envelope, so he thought.

"Can we get something warm to drink?" He asked solemnly.

"Sure." Castle jumped in front of her and headed out the door first.

"You son of a…"

He started quickly to the kitchen but Beckett was close behind. Ah the sweet feeling of small victories. That was short-lived. A small corner of the coffee table rug was folded up enough to trip up the tall man. Face first into the kitchen counter Castle went. He slid to the floor fast and Beckett tripped on his feet. Fortunately for her, he broke her fall completely. Beckett was flush with Castle's back and could immediately that something was wrong. She removed herself from him and sat down next to him. A small groan escaped Castle's mouth as he tried to turn onto his back. Beckett placed her hand on his knee as he started to rise to his feet. But his effort was in vain when he collapsed into the refrigerator.

"Castle! You okay?" Beckett chirped. She slid over to his side without standing up. There was a thick stream of blood running from his forehead to his cheek.

"I—I'm fine, Kate. Can you help me…?" He held his hand out to her as his eyes fluttered open and closed. It was great struggle to get Castle on his feet. He was pretty near dead weight she figured because he stumbled right and left while she led him to the couch. Wherever Castle's mind was, it most certainly wasn't in the room.

"You said I could lead…you lied. It's your fault." With a weak laugh, Castle sunk deep into the couch and tucked his head into the corner between the pillows.

"You sure you're alright? Let me go get a Band-Aid for the cut on your forehead."

Moments later, Beckett returned with a square of gauze and some white tape to tend to his wound. "…Kate, you're pretty..." His voice started to waiver.

"And you've lost your mind. Just go to sleep." She laughed but her face showed her emotions were truly different. Something about Castle since he had declared his love for her made so much more sense than it had before. All the things he did were silent reaffirmations of his love, but most of the time it just seemed to be poking at her. He was expressing how much he truly cared for her in a way he knew that he could hide. Thus far he had done it all rather successfully. Today, he had slipped up. When he touched her back, he left his hand there far too long and she knew it.

With these thoughts floating around in her exhausted head, she thought that maybe it would be best to drive him home. The more emotional side won the battle though. She covered him with a blanket, put a pillow behind his head and knelt by his side.

"I lo…I…I love you, Rick." She briskly jumped up and went to her room. Saying those words out loud scared her. This was the first time she had fully succumbed to her emotions about Rick Castle. As much as she wanted to sleep, her heart simply would not let her. _There was no way he heard me, right? I'm not ready for this…there's too much to deal with." _About 4am is when she finally fell asleep. Tomorrow was certainly shaping up to be a most interesting day.


	3. You're Canned!

**A/N Heya folks! This is a real short one. Next one will be longer, I promise. =) Any story line you would like to see in this, drop me a review! This was really fun to write. Hope you enjoy! -Alex**

Beckett shuffled out into the living room to find Castle still sleeping. He had one arm over the back of the couch, one on the coffee table, and his right leg hanging off. As if he didn't look exhausted enough, his mouth was wide open. Beckett looked at him with longing eyes. The feeling was fleeting, but was one that made her grin from ear to ear. For fear she would be caught, she headed into the kitchen.

She looked in the fridge for something to snack on. Before she got very far, she noticed a red can of whipped cream. Her first thought was to make a cup of hot chocolate, but she realized the opportunity in front of her. Castle's mouth was open wide enough to house a small family, she had a can of whipped cream; the fields were ripe for picking. On tiptoe, Katherine Beckett popped the top of the whipped cream and raised the can over her partner's head. Just as she was ready to accomplish her task, Castle shifted further onto the couch and closed his mouth in the process.

She heaved a sigh of frustration and sat down on the coffee table. How could she be so close to such an amazing practical joke and get crushed by a sleeping man? The dismay was only momentary for she had sparked another idea. She snuck to the kitchen and grabbed a sheet of wax paper. If this was all she ever used her wax paper for, a whole roll would last years. A huge pile of whipped cream had soon occupied the paper. With a huge smirk on her face, Beckett resumed her plot. She stood over Castle once more and placed both hands under the wax paper. Hesitation shook her hands a little but she overcame it by slapping the whipped cream to his face.

Castle jolted from his back clear up to his feet and shouted. "HOLY CRAP!" A huge roar of laughter came from directly behind him. He calmed down immediately however, when he found out what was on his face. As far as Beckett could tell, he was expressionless. But she couldn't actually see his face. Castle brought his hands to his eyes and removed a huge chunk of whipped cream from his eyes. "Oh. I should've known it was you! At least you were kind enough to give me a sweet treat." A tongue emerged from under the mound of whipped cream and cleared some of the white fluff from under his lip. Without any warning, Castle lunged at Beckett and smeared the whipped cream all over her face. She gasped. "You didn't!"

Within moments, Beckett had a can of whipped cream in her hand. She filled her hand and ran at him. Castle was laughing so hard that he didn't notice that she had pulled the can from the back pocket of her pajamas. His face was still coated and now his hair was slathered as well. The only thing he could think of was to find something suitable to retaliate. He dodged her and made it to the fridge. "YESSSS!" He rose to his feet with an identical can of whipped cream of his own.

Fifteen minutes had passed and they were still fighting with the whipped cream. A soft pounding on the door startled them both. "Shoot! Castle, I hope this is just a FedEx guy or something! Get me a towel, quick!" Castle obeyed and jogged to the kitchen for a dish towel. The adrenaline still coursed through her veins. She stood by the door and waited for Castle. Instead of hurrying, he was walking. "Castle! Hurry it up!" A small red towel flew at her face. She started to wipe the whipped cream from her face. Castle went back into the kitchen to get one for himself. As she opened the door, he wasn't exactly sure how to react to the voice he heard. Just in case Beckett didn't want him to be seen, he ducked down behind the table. All he could see beneath the table was a long black trench coat.

"Hi, Katie! Uh…cooking?" She chuckled and started wiping her hair. "Hey Dad. Not cooking…just um…"

Castle popped up from underneath the table. "Hello, Mr. Beckett!" Beckett's happy expression rapidly turned to a very annoyed one. _What the heck am I going to tell my Dad?"_


	4. A Fresh Start

**A/N Hey Castlefolk, you will notice, that up to this point, my story timeline has been canon. Not so anymore. 'Til Death Do Us Part' has no bearing on this whatsoever. Needless to say, enjoy!**

Castle popped up from underneath the table. "Hello, Mr. Beckett!" Beckett's happy expression rapidly turned to a very annoyed one. _What the heck am I going to tell my Dad?_

"Well, hello, Rick. What were you two doing exactly?" Castle slapped his small towel over his shoulder and walked towards Jim Beckett. "We were just having-a little fun." Jim shot a look at his daughter. "Is that what they call it now?" He smirked and turned to leave out the door. Before either of them had a chance to react, Jim had closed the door behind him. Without hesitation, Castle rushed out the door and slammed it.

"Mr. Beckett! We weren't-doing that! We were just-"

"Rick, I know. What you were doing was bonding with my daughter. Showing her that love is not dead. That those other women you married were at fault, not you. You're a good man, Rick. Stop waiting to tell her how you feel. I bet she feels the same." A smile stretched across his face and then he stepped in the elevator. Castle started after him. "Jim!" He saw Jim reach for the elevator button.

"Just go after her. Have a nice day, Rick." He stood in front of Kate's door for a minute as he thought about what to do. _Just go after her. _With those words resounding in his ears he opened the door to find her exactly where he left her.

"Why did he leave, Castle?"

"He wanted to give us our time together."

"Why?" She asked.

"Kate."

"Castle."

"Will you-" His breathing grew heavy.

"Castle, you don't want to do this."

"Actually, I do." He moved until he was about six inches from her. Her warm breath nearly melted him like a bar of chocolate on a hot summer day. "Will you be my plus one at Ryan's wedding?" She let forth a huge sigh and kissed him lightly on the forehead. If Castle had even and ounce of composure left, it disappeared into the kitchen along with Kate.

"I thought Alexis was your plus one." She said over her shoulder.

"Well, I asked her and she said no. Not sure why though. She's been a little withdrawn lately." Castle walked to the kitchen and leaned on the counter next to her. She was making some coffee for them both.

"You ever wonder if she's still—" Kate set two mugs on the counter and made quote symbols with her fingers. 'Circling the drain of love'?"

"You mean from Ashley?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure she still hurts. But she said she would be better."

"Castle, it doesn't happen over night." The thick, rich smell of the coffee stole through the kitchen. Castle forgot he was having a serious conversation. Kate noticed his distraction and slammed the dishwasher closed. He snapped back to the conversation.

"Well, I—" Castle turned his head towards the living room hoping to get some reprieve from Kate's searing green eyes.

"How long did it take you to get over your ex-wives, Castle? Huh?"

"That's different!" Castle shouted and immediately hung his head in shame.

"How? You tell me how it's different." She was now back inside that six inch gap, gasping for air in between words.

"Being cheated on not once, but twice? How do you think that even compares? I only pray that nothing like that ever—ever happens to Alexis. I'm going to smack her man around a bit before I even let him put his hands on her!" As Castle turned towards the living room, Kate reached for his hand and pulled him back.

"Wait, Castle stop! BOTH of your wives cheated on you?" She stepped towards him. Her eyes were serious and concerned. As she surveyed the room from right to left, he saw the look he was searching for. She nodded her head ever so slightly, urging him to continue.

"Yeah, Meredith loved me at first but she then fell in love with my money. I thought because she knew me before I was famous that she was really in love with me. Well that just turned around and punched me in the face. Then there was Gina. You know when you spend a lot of time with someone—something just happens. You work together long enough, things just click. Then there was outside of work flirting. One thing led to another and then we were married. After a year or so she started going out late at night, she wouldn't tell me why. I finally confronted her and she spilled everything. She had been having an affair with my PR guy. Sorry, you probably didn't want to hear all that."

Kate was now filled with compassion and sorrow for her partner. Castle's eyes were so sad. The faint mist of tears nearly overwhelmed him but he somehow managed to contain it. Kate nudged him in the arm.

"You're a good man, Castle. Don't forget that."

"I just wish I'd never married either of them. I wasted so much time trying to love women who didn't love me back. The only time well spent was bringing Alexis to this earth. I so desperately want my 'one and done' card back."

"Not everyone gets it right on the first try, Castle. It seems it was very little your fault. Start fresh. Make a new start." Castle lifted his head and looked to Kate with a love in his eyes she'd never seen before. The small gap between them became smaller. They no longer had personal space, only shared space. He grabbed her petite chin and drew her close to his face.

"Cas—what are you doing?" He began stroking her cheek with his soft thumb.

"I'm making a fresh start."

**Just because my author's note was at the beginning, that's not a promise I won't bug you again at the end of the chapter. Give me some feedback and this Swede will be very delighted =)**


	5. Resplendent Confessions

"You're a good man, Castle. Don't forget that."

"I just wish I'd never married either of them. I wasted so much time trying to love women who didn't love me back. The only time well spent was bringing Alexis to this earth. I so desperately want my 'one and done' card back."

"Not everyone gets it right on the first try, Castle. It seems it was very little your fault. Start fresh. Make a new start." Castle lifted his head and looked to Kate with a love in his eyes she'd never seen before. The small gap between them became smaller. They no longer had personal space, only shared space. He grabbed her petite chin and drew her close to his face.

"Cas—what are you doing?" He began stroking her cheek with his soft thumb.

"I'm making a fresh start."

Instead of doing what she clearly expected him to do; he rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. Ever since he had kissed her undercover, he longed to feel her close to him again. As much as he wanted to smother her with kisses, he just wanted to feel her skin against his.

"Kate, I've said this before, but I want to be sure you heard me." He lifted his hand to play with her hair. Kate closed her eyes in reaction to his contact.

"Wait, Castle, what time is it?"

"You don't have work today, it's Saturday. Now listen to me, I don't want you to miss it this time." He whispered. "I can't live another minute of my life without telling you that I—I love you Katherine Beckett." Then he did something that he didn't even know he was doing: he brought his hand up to her back and ran his hand slowly up and down her.

"Castle, I have something to—" She paused and grabbed the hand playing with her hair and brought it down. Uncharacteristically, she held onto his hand. After filling her lungs with cold air, she exhaled her nervousness.

"Rick, when you tackled me that day, the day I was shot, I he—heard you tell me that you loved me. I was scared, Rick. I didn't know if I was ready." Castle feigned surprise and pushed her away lightly.

"Well," he said. "since we're confessing things, I thought I would tell you," Castle took one step back for the safety of his face. "I have been researching your mother's case behind your back." They both shared an extreme look of disparagement with each other.

"I know you did." A small smile peaked out from the corners of her mouth.

"I knew you heard me!" Castle smiled. He waved his hands around wildly, much like he did when he successfully defused the bomb in the back of the van. This time, their desperation was not to save the entire city; it was to consummate the years of admiration and love they had for each other. He resumed his previous place and once again closed the gap between them.

"So…you're not mad at me?" He asked.

"Of course, I'm mad, Castle! But you're probably just as mad as me."

"I am." He affirmed.

"So shall we call it even and make up?" Castle cringed, realizing she might take that the wrong way.

"Sure. Coffee?"

"I was thinking dinner, but whatever you want. But—_I_ pay."

"Doesn't let me make up to you."

"You make up to me by letting me take you to dinner." He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. "And seeing you in a dress." The smile she'd been containing could be held no longer. She jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her arms encircled his neck so tightly, she nearly choked him. They both overwhelmed by the feeling both of them had been waiting for their entire lives. It was a feeling that they were completely and utterly loved, despite all of their faults. She drew back and looked into his surprised blue eyes.

"Richard Alexander Rogers?" He grinned at the sound of his real name.

"Yes, Detective?"

"I love you too and I would _love_ to wear a dress for you. Bipiddy boppity boo." Of all the different kinds of smiles that Kate let forth, this one was new to him. He liked it. Kate's mouth started to form words but they quietly waivered into Castle's lips. Kissing him genuinely was nothing like she had imagined. She imagined that he would whisk her away and become completely uncontrollable. But everything was sweet and soft. Every kiss was covered with her tears. He was in complete control. Kate was the one that lost control. She couldn't let him get away this time. Her hands explored his hair and back as she pulled him closer. When she started to cry harder, Castle pulled away. He rested his forehead on hers as he wiped her tears with his thumb. When he was finished wiping all of her tears, he rested his thumb on her chin.

"You don't have to cry, Kate. I'm not going anywhere. We're partners. That's what we do…" Kate lifted her hands to his face. She held his gaze for a minute and then he whispered in her ear, "Meet me at the River Café, 6 o'clock." He stroked her cheek and left her with a soft kiss. "And Detective?" Castle looked back mischievously. "Don't be late."

A/N Alrighty, friends. This is the last chapter you'll likely get in the next few weeks. I have to work on my book. The deadline for it is approaching faster than I would like. Anyway, let me know what you think.

P.S. Reviews make me write faster and I appreciate them. =)

Cheers,

Alex (JasperWright)


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